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MedicalObservationalStudy

MedicalObservationalStudy is a MedicalStudy subtype for studies that observe outcomes without investigator-controlled assignment to interventions. It adds 1 direct property:

  • studyDesign (MedicalObservationalStudyDesign enumeration): one of CaseSeries, CohortStudy, CrossSectional, Longitudinal, Observational, Registry.

Full example of schema.org/MedicalObservationalStudy json-ld markup

The markup is verified as valid with Rich Results Test from Google.

Highlight legend:Required by GoogleRecommendedOptional
schema.org/MedicalObservationalStudy
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "MedicalObservationalStudy",
  "@id": "https://dunmoreregional.example/research/dunmore-ckd-cv-cohort",
  "name": "Dunmore CKD-CV 10-Year Cohort",
  "url": "https://dunmoreregional.example/research/dunmore-ckd-cv-cohort",
  "description": "Prospective 10-year longitudinal cohort study of 4,200 adults with chronic kidney disease (eGFR 15-59) followed for major adverse cardiovascular events.",
  "studyDesign": [
    "https://schema.org/CohortStudy",
    "https://schema.org/Longitudinal"
  ],
  "status": "https://schema.org/ActiveNotRecruiting",
  "healthCondition": [
    { "@type": "MedicalCondition", "name": "Chronic kidney disease" },
    { "@type": "MedicalCondition", "name": "Major adverse cardiovascular events" }
  ],
  "studyLocation": { "@type": "Hospital", "name": "Dunmore Regional Hospital", "@id": "https://dunmoreregional.example/#hospital" },
  "sponsor": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "National Institute of Renal Health" },
  "code": { "@type": "MedicalCode", "codeValue": "NCT04998877", "codingSystem": "ClinicalTrials.gov" }
}
</script>

Observational vs Interventional

The line between this and MedicalTrial is exactly: who assigns subjects to groups? In a trial, the investigator. In an observational study, no one — the investigator follows whatever assignments occur naturally (smokers vs non-smokers, statin users vs non-users, registry-enrolled patients vs general population). The schema choice has methodological and regulatory implications; getting it right matters.

Minimal valid version

The smallest markup that still produces a valid MedicalObservationalStudy entity. Use it as the floor. Reach for the advanced example above when you want search engines and AI agents to understand more about your content.

schema.org/MedicalObservationalStudy (minimal)
<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "MedicalObservationalStudy",
  "name": "Dunmore CKD-CV 10-Year Cohort",
  "studyDesign": "https://schema.org/CohortStudy",
  "healthCondition": { "@type": "MedicalCondition", "name": "Chronic kidney disease" }
}
</script>

Google rich results this unlocks

Markup matching this example makes your page eligible for the following Google Search rich results. The primary target drives the required / recommended property classification in the advanced code block above.

  • No dedicated rich result (used by research-discovery and AI healthcare assistants)
    Google docs

Common MedicalObservationalStudy mistakes

Mistakes that pass validation but silently fail to earn rich results or mislead consumers walking the graph. Avoid these and your markup will be ahead of most sites in the wild.

  1. 01

    MedicalObservationalStudy on a randomised trial

    Wrong
    MedicalObservationalStudy with randomised assignment
    Right
    MedicalTrial when the investigator assigns subjects to interventions

    The two types are split on intervention vs observation. Mislabelling has regulatory and methodological consequences.

  2. 02

    studyDesign as plain text

    Wrong
    "studyDesign": "Cohort"
    Right
    Enumeration URLs from MedicalObservationalStudyDesign

    Filtering, dashboards, and AI consumers all key on the enum URL.

  3. 03

    Single CohortStudy without Longitudinal

    Wrong
    Multi-year follow-up tagged only as CohortStudy
    Right
    Add Longitudinal when the study spans multiple time points

    Both apply, and consumers filter on each. Cohort vs longitudinal are orthogonal qualifiers.

Schema properties in this example

MedicalObservationalStudyMedicalStudyMedicalEntitynameurldescriptionstudyDesignMedicalObservationalStudyDesignCohortStudyLongitudinalRegistryCrossSectionalCaseSeriesObservationalstatusMedicalStudyStatusActiveNotRecruitinghealthConditionMedicalConditionstudyLocationHospitalsponsorOrganizationcodeMedicalCode

About the example data

A fictional 10-year longitudinal cohort study at the Dunmore Cardiology Registry following 4,200 patients with chronic kidney disease for cardiovascular outcomes.

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